That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
The cold wind was crisp, and the withered leaves rustled bleakly.
Zhao Rui sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed in quiet contemplation.
True Qi swirled around his body like a great vortex, enveloping the entire room.
Boundless True Qi seeped through the cracks in the door, penetrated the walls, and permeated the earth and sky, slowly pouring into his body in various elemental forms.
His Dantian and Qi Sea had long since solidified to the density of mercury, emitting the vibrating thrum of roiling liquid.
According to the doctrines of the Daoist School of Cultivation, this was akin to one's qi and blood becoming like mercury, surging ceaselessly.
"Sword, come!"
Zhao Rui's eyes fluttered open. The longsword resting beside him shot out of its scabbard in an instant. It gleamed brightly under the lamplight, coiling around his body like a roaming dragon.
